


100 Ways To Say I Love You

by endof_theline



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, One-Shots, Pining, Pre-Slash, Tags to be added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 21:16:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12661590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/endof_theline/pseuds/endof_theline
Summary: 100 different ways to say I love you, takes place after Civil War but Team Cap didn’t leave and everyone is still friends.





	1. 001. "Pull Over. Let Me Drive For Awhile"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Bucky share a car ride which fills Steve with nerves when he sees them pull over...

“Sir, you can’t fall asleep now” FRIDAY’s voice startled Tony and jolted him fully awake instead of letting his eyes droop and blink slower, he chuckled slightly at himself and shook his head “Would you like me to play some music for you?”

“Please, something soft so Bucky can sleep through it” Tony mumbled and he smiled as soft music filled the car, he had been driving for three hours straight now since they had a meeting to go to and Fury made them all drive there to be somewhat discreet about it. Tony and Bucky had been paired together as both Nick and Steve had agreed to pair people up that weren’t getting along, he was paired with Wanda at first but the anxiety attack he almost had in front of them both quickly changed their minds and Bucky was quickly paired up with him instead.

Tony looked backed quickly to see Bucky curled up on the back seats, seat belts crossed over him to strap him in and a blanket was thrown over him to cover him up and also keep him warm as well. He had stayed awake for half an hour before he laid down and strapped himself in, Bucky looked peaceful for once when he was sleeping - eyes shut softly, his hair that was usually pulled back into a little bun was hanging loose over his eyes the worry and stress eased off his face, his tense posture relaxed and his mouth dropped open very slightly as soft snores escaped him. The snoring made Tony wonder if Bucky used to snore loudly before he was taken by HYDRA where he learnt to snore more quietly or maybe it was because of the army, he should ask Steve about that.

“Pull over” A gruff voice spoke up making Tony jump once again, he glanced back to see Bucky sitting up with sleepy eyes staring back at him even though Tony swore Bucky was asleep only thirty seconds ago.

“What? Why? Do you feel sick, need some air?” Tony worried as he started to pull over, seeing Steve in the car behind him look confused and pull over to the side of the road as well. Tony was out the car and opening Bucky’s door before the soldier had even taken his seatbelt off, Bucky just chuckled and shook his head as Steve jogged over to check in - worried that they were fighting... Again.

“Let me drive, you’re exhausted” Bucky had a half smirk, half smile on his face as Tony groaned and rubbed at his face “Come on Tony, you drove us there and almost all the way back too so let me drive for awhile” Steve was smiling brightly but kept an eye on them just to make sure it didn’t escalate to something they couldn’t easily deal with on the side of the road, that would be fun to explain later.

“We’re only an hour away from home, I can keep going, it’s okay” Tony shook his head stubbornly and stumbled on his feet, both super soldiers reaching out to keep him steady him as Bucky just raised an eyebrow at him with a bigger smirk on his face “Yeah, yeah… Fine, you can drive just don’t wreck my car”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Stark. Now get your ass in the car and sleep, FRIDAY can help direct me back and I can keep an eye on Steve as well” Bucky stood up and gently pushed him into the car and Tony melted into the seats, practically falling asleep as soon as his head hit the smooth leather “Mister I-don’t-need-to-sleep, out like a light as soon as his head hits the seat” Tony grumbled but cuddled into the seats with a yawn, Bucky strapped him down and covered him over with the blanket. Steve clapped him on his right shoulder in thanks and pride before walking back to the cars and telling the rest of the Avengers that it was nothing to worry about, Bucky got in the car at the wheel before falling into line behind the car Steve was driving. A smile on his face as he checked on Tony who was clearly fast asleep, his body limp and the stress smoothed out from his features. Bucky noticed a little shiver run through the genius however “FRIDAY, does this car have seat warmers?”

“Yes it does, would you like me to activate them?” She asked sounding pleased and fond somehow, Bucky nodded with the soft smile still on his face.

“Please, and make sure the back seats are a good warm temperature for Sleeping Beauty over there” Bucky chuckled a little and his eyes crinkled with a smile when Tony hummed and tried to worm his way deeper into the car seats when the heat reached him, a little smile spreading across his face.

“Thank you Sergeant Barnes, he has been refusing sleep for 32 hours” FRIDAY told him sounding actually thankful for Bucky’s actions making the soldier smile even brighter, the AI hardly ever thanked the others when they helped Tony.

“My pleasure FRIDAY”


	2. 002. “It Reminded Me Of You.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky goes on a walk which usually clears his head, this time it clears his head of bad thoughts and ends up with gifts.
> 
> Slightly longer and fluffier this time!

Bucky was strolling down the lesser used streets of New York like he tried to do everyday, for some reason the walks really helped him adjust into the 21st century. He kept a hood over his head and gloves on his hands in the attempts to hide himself a little bit, he wasn’t in hiding anymore but it made him feel more comfortable about walking around on his own. 

He walked down rows and rows of shops, head tilted just enough to see into the shops but also able to watch where he was walking so he didn’t anger anyone. His feet stumbled to a halt outside one shop, a rolled up red and gold blanket sat beside a blue and red with white stars one. His mind instantly went to Steve and Tony with a shy blush on his cheeks as he found himself walking into the shop curiously.

Warmth enveloped him as soon as he stepped inside, pushing his hood back like he had seen the two men on his mind do whenever they walked into a shop or the like with a hood or sunglasses on. He wriggled his hand out of one of his gloves to stroke the material, pleased at how soft and comforting they both felt, his eyes glanced over and saw a grey, red and black one on the other side of the red and gold one. Bucky didn’t believe in fate but he couldn’t help the faint twinge in his chest when he saw their colours sat side by side each other.

“They’re lovely, aren’t they?” A soft voice came from behind him making him jump slightly and look over to see a fairly young looking woman smiling at him happily, he smiled awkwardly back and nodded silently “Would you like to buy them?” Bucky glanced down and realised he had been absentmindedly stroking the three of them causing his blush to deepen a little and nod again, she quickly picked up the trio of blankets and rung them up “That’s $15 please” 

“Here” he spoke quietly as he handed over the notes he thankfully thought to bring with him, that small fateful twinge made itself known again and Bucky could almost roll his eyes at it. She put the three into a bag and handed it over to him with a grin “Thank you, have a good day” 

“You too!” She chirped as Bucky slipped his glove back on and pulled his hood up again, he stepped back out into the cold and shivered slightly. The bitter wind and his new purchases decided that it was time to go home for him, he smiled to himself at how funny he must look. A big guy without an inch of skin showing under black clothes, hood pulled over his head and gloves hiding his hands that carried a see through plastic bag with mostly brightly coloured blankets in.

 

Tony and Steve fortunately were in the former’s workshop when Bucky got back to the tower, he stepped out the elevator with slightly windswept hair and cheeks flushed from the cold, Steve was the first to notice him and stood up from his perch on Tony’s desk.

“Hey Buck, how was your walk?” Steve asked with that big grin of his on his face, Bucky nodded and gave him a small smile as Tony swiveled around on his stool to face him “You buy something while you were out?” 

“O-Oh, yeah, um, they reminded me of you both” Bucky stammered a little before handing them their blankets, Steve smiled brightly as his fingers stroked the fabric gently while Tony instantly squeak and gave it back making a pang of hurt go through Bucky before noticing Tony wiping the grease and oil off of himself.

“Sorry, I don’t want to get it messy, I didn’t mean to seem rude” Tony quickly stood up and took it back before nuzzling his face into the blanket without any hesitation making Steve chuckle and Bucky smile proudly “I used to have a blanket that felt just like this, thanks Buckaroo!” 

“I-It’s okay” he mumbled bashfully as he held his own close to his chest, Steve was still in awe of how nice the blanket felt which Bucky knew the feeling of way too clearly. They managed to persuade him to stay and watch a film in Tony’s penthouse before he could run off again and hide, Steve stayed in his top and jeans while Tony changed out of his clothes that he had been working in and into a loose tank top and sweats and Bucky took his hoodie off to change into a jumper he had stolen from Steve so it covered his hands a little bit.

They all curled up separately on the sofa, Tony sat in the middle with a super soldier either side of him. All of them wrapped up in their new blankets making Bucky smile with pride as he noticed how Steve couldn’t stop stroking his and Tony rubbed his cheek against his every now and then.

 

Part of Bucky’s brain told him that he shouldn’t be disappointed that he never saw the others use their blankets a week later, that he should have expected them to use them to make him happy before hiding them away.

That’s probably why he froze in shock to see Tony curled up on his workshop sofa, a normal occurrence, with the blanket wrapped around him fast asleep with a tiny smile on his face, Bucky silently took a picture of the engineer and left him to rest so he could find Steve instead.

He was pleasantly surprised to find the man sat in his armchair, wrapped up in his own blanket, fast asleep with his sketch book and pencil in his lap like he was in the middle of drawing before he fell asleep. Bucky snapped another picture on his phone before moving the book and pencils off of Steve so they wouldn't drop and wake him before leaving Steve to sleep as well, maybe taking a nap with his blanket wasn’t a bad idea after all...


	3. 003. “No, No, It’s My Treat.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky invites Steve and Tony on one of his walks, Clint, Sam and Natasha regret ever encouraging them...

Steve and Tony had been stunned when Bucky had timidly invited them to walk with him, ever since he had started his walks he made it clear that he wanted to be alone and that he didn’t want to have anyone join him. Both of them quickly agreed and wrapped themselves up in hoodies and warmer clothes before meeting him at the entrance of the tower excitedly, Bucky felt nervous about bringing them alone but he took a deep breath and gestured for them to start walking with him.

Tony had a deep red hoodie on that covered his face just enough, gloves that poked out under the long hoodie sleeves, normal black jeans and boots that looked like they were actually built for walking not for show like a lot of Tony’s shoes. Steve was carrying on the tend in his deep blue, almost navy, hoodie, jeans and boots that Tony teased him about because they looked almost exactly like army boots. Heck, Bucky wasn’t much better in his grey hoodie, black leather jacket, black gloves, dark jeans and boots that made him look like he was still in his uniform.

“So Bucky, what do you usually do on your walks?” Tony broke Bucky out of his nervous thoughts as he suddenly realised both of them had been chatting while he had been pondering their fashion choices.

“Um, just think and walk really. Sometimes I go to a park or go past shops… God, that sounds so boring I’m sorry, we can g-” Bucky’s posture slumped as he drew himself in and offered them an escape route that he was sure they’d want before Steve cut him off.

“That sounds great, Buck, I wish I could have done this when I was trying to catch up, seems peaceful” Steve reassured him eagerly as Tony nodded in agreement and looked around with a deep breath “See Tony, isn’t fresh air better than stale workshop air?”

“First off, it’s not stale, secondly, fuck you and third, I didn’t say workshop air is better than fresh air” Tony pouted at Steve as both soldiers chuckled softly at him happily, of course Tony would defend his shop before anything else even if it was just the quality of the air in there.

“No, you hissed at me” Steve stressed making Tony laugh and smirk back at him while Bucky let a small laugh escape him at Steve’s distress on the matter “I said ‘hey Tony, don’t you think you should take a break and get some fresh air’ and you glared at me and hissed like a cat!” He exclaimed frantically only to get a cocky grin in return.

“Which is the perfect and only response necessary for such a question as that and others like ‘shouldn’t you take a nap’ and ‘wouldn’t you feel better with something to eat’” Tony pointed out and laughed at Steve’s noise of disbelief and concern as they started to bicker, normally it would make Bucky feel on edge but the smiles on both their faces let him relax in the knowledge they were just teasing each other. He laughed happily as he watched the pair mess around while they walked, Bucky never realised that they had been wandering around the whole time and he hadn’t slipped into any bad thoughts like he so often did.

“Okay, yes or no Buckaroo, is hissing the perfect response for those questions?” Tony questioned him so he paused and tapped his chin in thought, playing it up like they had been doing.

“I agree with Steve that should get fresh air, eat and sleep-” Bucky started and got interrupted by Tony hissing at him which Bucky quickly decided was adorable to watch “-but, I do think hissing is the only acceptable answer to those questions” He finished making Tony cheer and poke his tongue out at Steve.

“Oh real mature, Tony” Steve tsked at him before looking around and smiling “Fancy a coffee or something, Buck?” Bucky turned saw that he had stopped them outside a little, quiet looking coffee shop and once he saw Tony shiver from the cold wind he nodded and led them in, holding the door for the other two.

 

Soft music was playing in the background as Bucky took in the relaxing coffee smell that lingered in the room, he saw both of the others take off their hoods prompting him to copy their actions. They found a seat and quietly discussed what drinks they were going to order and Steve caught Tony’s wrist when he went to go order and pay for the drinks

“No, no, it’s my treat” Steve told him as he stood up instead and gave Tony a bright smile before walking away, Tony seemed a little stunned and unsure as he watched Steve walk away since he was so used to paying for everything whenever he was out with people apart from Rhodey and sometimes Pepper. Bucky let himself scan the room and take note of everything before relaxing in the new space, Steve and Tony had gotten used to Bucky’s security checks that he did with one glance around the room “You always pay for everything, Tony, and Bucky, you got us those really nice blankets and let us come with you on your walk so it’s my turn to do something even if it is just getting the drinks” 

“That’s… Thank you, Steve” Tony gave him a bashful smile as it grew hard to tell if he was blushing or the cold made his cheeks go pink, Bucky hated that Tony automatically thought he had to pay for them but he loved that little smile on his lips.

“Thanks Stevie and having you guys with me is nice, doesn’t let me think about stuff I shouldn’t be” Bucky smiled and laughed when Tony cheered when their drinks were brought over, the three of them thanking the waiter and their eyes lingering slightly as the man who looked around 35 blushed “Well we all have great taste then”

“Yeah, guess we do” Both Steve and Tony said as they looked at Bucky who quickly blushed as well, suddenly realising why the waiter blushed so much when both men had their eyes fixed on him.

 

Sam and Natasha didn’t hear the end of it until they were invited back out with him a week later. Clint had encouraged Bucky to let them come again when it was clear to him that Bucky was struggling with bad thoughts again and since walking with Steve and Tony got rid of them for a while, Bucky agreed. Teasing, brief flirting and lots of blushing took place as did every week on their walks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next one might take a little while as I need to actually write it and the others have been pre-written. Thank you for all of your comments and kudos, they've motivated me tons already!


	4. 004. “Come Here. Let Me Fix It.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky's arm starts to play up and Tony just wants to fix it...

Bucky yelped and covered his face with his flesh arm as his metal one sparked and overheated, Tony’s jaw was dropped to the floor as Steve was already panicking about everything he could. The sparks had been going on for a couple weeks now but never this bad where it smoked and groaned, Bucky looked at the metal and shrugged before going back to read his book. Tony finally picked his jaw up off the floor and rushed over to Bucky who caught the engineer’s hands in his flesh hand before he had a chance to touch the metal arm.

“You’ll burn yourself, don’t touch it” He scolded and pushed him away gently without looking away from his book, Tony’s hands fluttered at his sides as he just stood next to Bucky until Steve pulled him away “It’s been sparking for weeks, I’m sure it’s fine” He turned the page with the same hand he was holding the book in, only glancing up when he heard a noise of shock. Both Steve and Tony looked worried and almost frightened by Bucky’s confession, Steve strode over and touch the metal making him hiss as it burned to touch “Told you” Tony grabbed a towel and ran it under the tap so it cooled the metal as he wiped it down to help it cool down. 

“You should let me take a look at that” Tony said as he looked up to Bucky who had pink cheeks but cleared his throat slightly.

“It’s really fine, it’s always done that and as long as I can still move then it doesn’t matter” Bucky pointed out with a shrug and moved his arm with gritted teeth as the arm groaned with effort, Tony’s nose scrunched up a little like he always did when he was trying to mentally fix tech that he couldn’t physically fix just yet “When it actually needs sorting out then I’ll let you take a look” 

“It does need sorting out!” Tony stressed but took a slow breath when he realised that there was no way Bucky was letting him help “Fine, but when you deem it actually broken then you come straight to me, no hanging around to see if it fixes by itself because it won’t and you’re driving me crazy by holding out on me” Bucky just hummed and kept reading his book, giving a non-committal response that Tony knew off by heart through his own actions.

 

It took another week until Bucky appeared at Tony’s workshop door, his arm hanging limp at his side. Tony glanced over and smirked at the soldier’s defeated expression before waving him over as he closed down his other projects, the smirk disappeared when the metal arm twitch and made a horrendous grinding noise as Bucky let out a small yelp. The engineer’s eyes widened as he yanked a chair over and pushed Bucky to sit down, Tony darted around as he set up and got FRIDAY to take scans of the arm so he could see the problem easier. 

“It looks as though it would be easier to take the whole arm off and repair it instead of forcing you to sit here and let me fix it piece by piece which would probably hurt more as well, it’s down to you though since I don’t want to do anything you’re not okay with me doing” Tony pointed out as he looked at the holograms of Bucky’s arm, the man in question staying deadly quiet which wasn’t that unusual until Tony looked over and saw how badly Bucky was shaking with his eyes scrunched shut “Easy Buckaroo, you’re in my workshop, no one’s going to hurt you or do something without your consent. Open your eyes, I promise you’re safe here, would you like me to call Steve down?” Bucky nodded stiffly and jumped when he felt a hand hold his real hand, his first instinct to fight it away before the thumb started to rub his hand calmly.

“Buck, it’s going to be okay, it’s just Tony looking at you” Steve’s voice jolted him again so he managed to force his eyes open as he let his head fall back as he breathed hard and deeply “I’m right here, it’s okay, we won’t let anyone touch you”

“What would you like me to do, do you want me to work on your arm attached or off?” Tony asked him again but softer, less like he was talking about a machine.

“Off” Bucky gasped desperately so Tony started to work and carefully took Bucky’s arm off, after Tony destroyed Bucky’s arm and Cap’s team ran off to Wakanda T’Challa and his team built Bucky a new arm and made it so it could be taken off for repairs or just if Bucky wanted it off. Tony wasn’t quite sure if it was Bucky or his arm that hissed when the arm was taken off, the soldier slumped against Steve and panted softly while Tony carefully placed the arm in front of him.

“Bucky?” Tony asked timidly before two steel blue snapped open and looked at him fearfully, the engineer felt his heart sink as a pang of hurt helped it down “I’m not going to hurt you, if you want I won’t work on your arm when you’re not with me, I’ll put it somewhere or you can keep it somewhere and then when I can, you and I can work on it down here?” 

“I wa-want to keep it” Bucky whispered nervously, Tony just nodded and smiled softly “Can we wa-wait a couple days first?”

“Sure thing, just come to me when you’re ready, if you’d like I could scan your arm now and see what’s going on so we wouldn’t have to take so long fixing it?” Tony agreed and raised his eyebrow hopefully, as eager as he was to get into the arm he wasn’t going to betray Bucky’s trust over it.

“Um, yeah okay” He nodded and watched as a hologram of the arm was built piece by piece, Tony grinned and couldn’t keep the excited smile off his face. He enlarged it and unwrapped it to look at the wiring, his tongue poked out the corner of his mouth as he worked.

“From what I can see here, this wire came loose and the plates here caught and cut it which has made the connecting wires to short out or come loose as well, all I need to do is replace the wiring and figure out how to stop the wires coming loose again” Tony explained as he showed both of them what he was talking about on the scan, Bucky seemed a little more relaxed as Tony happily pointed everything out to him “Oh! I’ve been sitting on the idea for a while and I didn’t know how to bring it up, but do you like the metal of your arm because I could try to make up some skin like material that would cover the metal, only if you want that though”

“You can make it look normal?” Bucky asked excitedly, his eyes wide as Steve smiled at him and Tony chuckled a little as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“I mean, I’ve been playing with the idea and I’ve made up a couple of prototypes so I think I can do it for you. FRIDAY, take a scan of Bucky’s skin colour on his arm for me, I can match it and make the material look more realistic” Tony explained happily before he squeaked when Bucky grabbed his shoulder and squeezed, he was smiling brighter than Tony had ever seen which caused the pink tint on the other man’s cheeks.

“Thank you so much Tony” 

 

Every so often Bucky would shuffle into Tony’s workshop with his arm, FRIDAY would turn down Tony’s music so he would look over and see the timid soldier, Tony waved the other man over with a happy smile and a ‘Come here, let me fix it’ making Bucky chuckle and move more confidently as he started to learn that Tony was more than excited to start working on the arm whenever he could.

“You know I would’ve had this finished weeks ago if you came down here more often” Tony had commented once or twice which Bucky took in his stride as he started to visit more and more often, Steve sometimes joining them and watching Tony work as he sketched the pair of them.

By the time the arm was finished, Tony had created the fake skin to wrap around it and Steve had filled a sketchbook of the pair of them. Bucky squeezed Steve’s hand as Tony reattached it and gasped in amazement when the arm moved better than ever before, he was almost crying when Tony rolled on the skin and, without taking a close look, it seemed like Bucky had both his real arms. 

“Thank you so much Tony, you’re amazing!” Bucky smiled as he looked over his arm excitedly, it even felt like real skin so Bucky couldn’t help it when he kept running his hand all over it “Howard would never been able to figure this out” 

“I wonder if our resident genius would be able to make a flying car” Steve laughed and Bucky’s eyes lit up with joy and recognition as he laughed along, Tony nervously chuckled but tried to hide the blush on his cheeks from Steve’s proud statement. And if SI suddenly started making prosthetics and Tony had a private file named ‘Flying car 2.0’ then who’s to say Tony wasn’t flattered and determined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, I've been sitting on it for a while and I'm still not happy with how it turned out so I might edit this later.
> 
> Thanks for all your support!


	5. 005. “I’ll Walk You Home”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Steve join Bucky on a walk and Tony reveals some past truths.

Steve and Tony were invited out on Bucky’s walk once again, they were all talking and laughing before Tony tripped over his own feet and landed awkwardly so that he twisted his ankle and damaged his wrist. He whimpered in pain when he pushed up on the wrong arm before he had a super soldier either side of him and lifting him up carefully.

“Just because I’m not hopped up on serum doesn’t mean I’m a fragile old man” Tony grumbled as they both patted him down, he decided to blame the pink on his cheeks from the cold and not from the perfect men touching him.

“No, of course not Tony, but tripping over would still hurt us if the serum didn’t make us have perfect balance” Steve looked at him with those damn puppy eyes that Tony hated (loved) making him huff and roll his eyes before he shoved the pair off him.

“Yeah, yeah, rub it in my face why don’t you” He muttered as he dusted himself off and shivered as the cold started to seep through his clothes now that they were just stood around “I think I’m just going to head back, you guys carry on” Tony didn’t wait for their reply before he was off, both Bucky and Steve glanced at each other before chasing after him and keeping their heads down as Tony glared at the path in front of him.

“Tony” Bucky’s voice was timid and he kept his eyes off of his face nervously “Stevie and I weren’t trying to mean” His old Brooklyn accent taking over his words making Tony let out a breath before he just slowed his pace and rested his head against Bucky’s metal arm, Bucky tensed for a moment before he hesitantly moved to have Tony under his arm and tucked into his side.

“I know, I’m sorry for snapping at you both… I used to really love winter and Christmas but after everything December has always been a shitty month for me and everything makes you feel older in winter. You feel the cold more and your joints ache a little more than usual, before my arc reactor was taken out I could barely go outside because it hurt so bad and now I can but I still have the lung capacity of an old man that smokes fifty a day” Tony ranted at them as they both noticed how Tony’s chest was heaving slightly from where he had been speeding away from them and as he was talking and barely stopping to take a breath, Bucky pulled him closer subconsciously.

“You should’ve said something Tony, we wouldn’t have forced you to come out with us if they were making you uncomfortable” Steve frowned as he walked a little closer to him, Tony actually felt himself warming up a little under Bucky’s arm and even having Steve closer to him made him feel a little warmer.

“You don’t force me out, I want to come, it’s nice to be outside and not being Tony Stark or Iron Man for a while, I can just be Tony and relax with you both. I just… I just feel old” Tony sighed reluctantly as he forgot who was holding him, so used to the same embrace from Rhodey or Pepper, and cuddled into his side sadly “I feel old and you both are so young physically that it reminds me that I’m not” Tony rubbed at his wrist that both of them noticed was shaking harder than the rest of his body.

“Well, come on then, we’ll walk you home” Bucky smiled slightly and used his arm around Tony to pull him forward, Steve moved to press up against the other side of Tony as he put his arm around Bucky’s neck. 

“We live in the same place, you live in my compound, you’re just walking home and taking me with you, maybe I don’t want to go to that home, maybe I want to go to my home in California” Tony protested but he was smirking a little to show that he was just teasing, Bucky just rolled his eyes at him and Steve chuckled softly “I’m serious, how do you know that I don’t want to go to a different house?”

“Then we’ll walk you to the nearest Stark owned jet or helicopter that will take you to whatever home you want and we’ll go with you to walk you to your door” Steve teased happily making Bucky grin as he noticed Tony curling in closer and smiling softly to himself “But judging by how you’re shaking and limping, I’m going to guess that you just want to go home to the compound with us” Tony chuckled and nodded his head as he pulled his scarf a little higher up his face in the hopes it would hide his pink cheeks.

“You know, I’ve never celebrated Christmas in this time before and I don’t think Stevie celebrated Christmas in Brooklyn either, would you want to show us what it’s like?” Bucky asked as his voice turned timid from nerves, his old accent still hanging onto every word he spoke, his eyes lowered from the engineer’s face “You don’t have to and I know it’s his fault you don’t like December anymore but, maybe you’d like it a bit if you’re showing us?”

“I… I think I would like that, gives me a distraction from moping around and you guys get to have Christmas, we can get the others to join in if they want and I think the kid might enjoy it too” Tony hummed thoughtfully as he started planning everything in his head already, he easily got lost in his own thoughts about how to decorate the compound and what lights would look good and would compliment the design in the building before he felt someone touch his head so he jumped and flinched.

“Easy Tony, settle down, you’re just getting lost in your own head again” Steve coaxed him as he lifted his hand out of Tony’s hair, Tony looked at the pair of them before a taking a deep breath “These walks are meant to take you out of your head, not give you something to cram in there. Talk to us, Shellhead”

“I’m just planning stuff for Christmas, it’s okay I’ll stop thinking until we get home so I can plan it out with FRIDAY and order some decorations” Tony shrugged as both the super soldiers chuckled and shook their heads at him, he stumbled a little and winced as his ankle twisted and sent a shot of pain up his leg. Bucky just looked at how Tony was limping and wincing before he scooped the smaller up into his arms and carried him “Barnes! Put me down, you ass!”

“We’ll walk you home another time, you mess up your ankle more than you already have, Stevie’s gonna have to bench you” Bucky smirked at him slightly as his accent started to creep through his words, Tony pulled his scarf up over his nose as he looked helplessly at Steve who was smiling at them fondly “Ain’t that right, Stevie?”

“‘Course, can’t have one of my best guys injured on the field” Steve let his own accent through instead of hiding it like he tends to do, Tony ducked his head and smiled to him shyly.

“M’not that hurt” He quietly mumbled but both of them just looked at each other before Steve cupped a hand behind his ear with a cheeky smile.

“Sorry about that, Tony, our old ears couldn’t hear you” He teased so Tony reached out and shoved at his arm which barely moved it, lowering his scarf to poke his tongue out at them “No respect for your elders with the kids these days”

“As freakishly warm as you are, I’m still freezing cold and now I really want to plan Christmas with everyone!” Tony squirmed until Bucky pulled him tighter to his chest and the both of them walked home faster, the smaller curling into his chest when the wind picked up and whipped past him.

 

Once they got Tony home, Bucky placed him down on the sofa in the living room with his foot propped up on the coffee table - not without Tony whining about it though - and an ice pack was put on it. Steve got all of their blankets from Bucky and wrapped him up in them before getting his tablet for him so they could start planning things with him, Tony slowly fell asleep after the ice pack fell off his ankle and two super soldiers sandwiched him between them still swaddled in blankets.

Natasha crept in to take a picture once the pair of them fell asleep as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me so long to get out, I wanted it out before Christmas and then New Year's but that didn't happen... Hope everyone had a great holiday if you celebrate one and if not then I hope you had some good time off!


	6. 006. “Have A Good Day At Work.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony's been dealing with some... less than friendly clients so Steve and Bucky step in to help while poor Steve makes a fool of himself.

Tony grumbled as he tugged on his tie trying to get it right, he picked up a coffee cup from the table and knocked it back with practised ease. He shrugged on his jacket and ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh before he jumped with there was a choking noise coming from the occupied breakfast bar, both super soldiers looking just as surprised as Tony.

“Fuck, Bucky!” Steve exclaimed before he smacked the other on the back to help him stop coughing so hard, his eyes were still wide and now slightly watery as he was staring hard at Tony almost in shock “What the hell?”

“Sorry, sorry, I just- I got distracted” Bucky mumbled and looked away to the table distantly, Tony shrugged and walked out - grunting in acknowledgement when Bruce said hello to him on the past.

“What was that about, Buck?” Steve asked as he tried hiding the laugh in his voice “You got ‘distracted’, we all know you don’t get distracted” Bucky just cleared his throat and brushed his hand through his hair before glancing where Tony had left the room longingly “You’ve always been like that even back in Brooklyn, the only distraction you ever had back then was a nice looki-” Steve took a deep breath before he spoke in a flat tone, face completely void of emotions “You got distracted by Tony, didn’t you?” 

“I’ve never seen him looking like that!” He tried to defend himself desperately, but it was too late. Everyone broke into laughter making him scowl and cross his arms, very close to looking like a sulking child “You can’t tell me that he doesn’t look good in a suit!”

“He does look good Buck, we’ll give you that one” Steve smirked over at him before grunting as Bucky kicked him hard under the counter, Natasha just smirked and rolled her eyes before Clint screamed as Bucky chased him out the room since he had started making kissy faces at him. Steve watched him fondly so Natasha and Sam both slid to sit either side of him, watching him tense and smirking at him evilily.

“Well would ya look at that, both your boys seem to have a little crush on each other, looks like this poly thing would actually work out if you three pulled your heads out your asses long enough” Sam pointed out bluntly making Natasha chuckle a little as she nodded in agreement, Steve groaned and dropped his head into his hands - why did he tell them about his crushes?

 

Steve almost spat out his coffee the next morning, there was Tony dressed all smart in his suit as usual... But then there was Bucky on his arm dressed up in his own suit. His eyes wide as he drank in the sight of both, he quickly slammed the mug on the counter in a flustered panic before he yelped as the porcelain smashed and hot coffee splashed over his shirt. He sucked his stomach in to avoid the cloth and stripped his shirt off to avoid burning himself.

“Shit Steve, are you okay?” Tony rushed out as he ran over and grabbed a wet cloth to hold against his stomach were it had gone red with burns already, Bucky still in shock at his best friend's sudden accident.

“Y-Yeah, fine, more of a shock y’know?” He chuckled awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck and the blush high on his cheeks travelled into his hairline, tinting his ears and flushing down his chest, his hand gesturing to damp cloth resting on his abs under Tony's fingers “Uh, I c-can take it, thank you Tony”

“Did you suddenly forget that you’re not one hundred pounds soaking wet anymore? Geez Stevie” Bucky teased playfully but held concern in his eyes, his eyes travelling down Steve’s body greedily and to Tony’s hand still holding the cloth in place even when Steve’s hand was hovering around to take the cloth when ever he decided to let go.

“I guess so, I just wasn’t thinking” He ducked his head in embarrassment before he glanced back up through his eyelashes at his best friend slash long term crush “Where are you guys going dressed all fancy?”

“Oh, um, I have a meeting with a guy that gets kinda violent when he’s passionate so I’m bringing Bucky to pretend he’s my bodyguard” Tony explained as he forgot about holding the cloth and let go of it, almost dropping it to the floor before Steve’s reflexes kicked in and he swooped down to pick it. Steve grunted and a whimper slipped out his mouth as the burn sent stabbing pain through his chest, he winced as he stood back up right “Sorry! I’m so sorry, are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, fine” He waved it off as he placed the cool rag against his skin and let out a sigh of relief “Do you want me to come with you? Give you some more backup?”

“W-Well, only if you want, you don’t have to and on-only if you’re not doing anything else, I don’t want you stopping your day for this” Tony stuttered anxiously and rubbed at his wrist like he tended to do when he was getting tense and nervous, Bucky just tutted and slung his arm over the smaller’s shoulders to comfort him slightly.

“Go get dressed, Punk, did ya get your dog tags back?” Bucky smirked at Steve when he glanced down to Tony and nodded quickly as he tried to ignore the shocked noise Tony made “Good, go get dolled up and put them on under your shirt”

“Shuddup Jerk” Steve grumbled but smiled a little as he shoved Bucky when he walked past only to hear Tony’s furious scream as he walked out, deciding to let Bucky handle that one since it was his great idea

“YOU STOLE FROM A MUSEUM?!”

 

Steve and Bucky stood beside Tony through the whole meeting, sunglasses over their eyes, communicators in their ears and arms crossed over their chests. Of course, Pepper was almost ruining the whole thing by taking pictures of them or trying to make them laugh or smile, that is until the man trying to sell… whatever it is that he’s trying to sell, almost smacked Tony by gesturing wildly. Bucky grabbed his wrist in a death grip as Steve crowded up into his space with a dangerous snarl, both of them squaring their shoulders until Tony pulled them off and the man apologised quickly. The rest of the meeting went smoothly as the strangely violent man stopped flailing around like an idiot and Bucky and Steve relaxed slightly, Pepper had found a new respect for the pair from their aggressive display.

 

“Okay, so that was amazing but next time please don’t try and break his wrist” Tony gave them a hopeful smile as they rode the elevator up the tower but Bucky just snorted as Steve shook his head which quickly made the smile drop “Come on guys, they won’t work with me if you hurt them” 

“Then they shouldn’t be trying to hurt you!” Bucky argued easily as they walked through into the living room of the tower once the doors opened on the communal floor, Steve threw his arm around Tony’s shoulders and brought him under his arm easily as Tony just curled into his side happily “Maybe if Stevie and I stick around a little while then people will start getting the idea, what do you say Tony?”

He hummed and tapped his chin mockingly but rolled his eyes as he nudged into Steve’s side “I guess” Tony sighed sarcastically “It’s been nice having backup and not having to worry about getting smacked or something, plus you’re good company when Pep wants me to do actual work” The trio laughed as Bucky moved to walk closer to his side, both Steve and Tony missing the fond look he was giving them once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to get out, I've been super busy with work and writing things for contests. I couldn't get inspired for this prompt and I'm still unsure on it so it might change later.


	7. 007. “I Dreamt About You Last Night.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens at night stays in the dark... until day breaks.

Tony walked sluggishly into the kitchen and noticed a figure hunched over by the coffee machine so he gave a pathetic whine in the hopes that whoever it was would pour him a cup, alas they seemed to have not heard him so he whined louder when he slumped over the counter next to them. Even in the pitch black room Tony knew the figure was Bucky, it could have only been Steve or Bucky by the build of the body and once Tony was next to him he could see the sloppy bun Bucky’s hair was scraped back in.

“Nightmares?” Tony asked softly and noticed the subtle hesitation before the soldier shook his head slowly “Ah, memories” This earned him a grunt while Tony poured out his own coffee and, because he was raised properly, he topped up Bucky’s own cup “Can I ask what about or don’t you wanna talk about it?”

“I dreamt about you last night” Bucky’s voice was rough and hoarse like he had been screaming, he most likely had been since he was known for his more violent dreams which included a lot of Steve holding him down while he thrashed around and screamed bloody murder.

“Oh? Well then, I apologize for interrupting a goodnight’s sleep” Tony chuckled halfheartedly, just trying to get a smile out of the man, Bucky huffed and sipped at his coffee “Alright, what did you dream about me?”

“When I was given the mission for your parents, I had to watch them for a while to get a pattern and see how they act. I saw you sometimes, you were never home very much” Bucky pointed out to him bluntly which just made Tony hunch his shoulders guiltily and stay quiet “Howard liked Steve a lot, Maria didn’t like how much he liked him and told him that, told him that he should focus on you with that kind of dedication. I never liked Howard, even back before the war, he was a smart man but he sure wasn’t a genius like you are, Tony”

“Lots of people would beg to differ on that one, Frosty” He gave a nervous chuckle and shivered slightly before standing a little closer to Bucky so he could feel the warmth coming off him as the soldier spoke once again.

“Let them, they don’t know anything about him. He was intelligent but stupid, if he was a genius he would’ve helped you but he could see that you were smarter than him and it scared him. Your mother, she was a genius. She raised you well and protected you were she could, especially from Howard. Your butler and his wife were smart as well, both adored you and raised you, I wouldn’t want to imagine what the world would be like if they had let Howard bully your brain like he wanted to”

“So you dreamt about my family and when I was kid?” Tony tried to guess how they ended up talking about this, Bucky shook his head and sighed into his coffee.

“I dreamt about breaking my conditioning, getting free and running into your home to tell Howard and warn him HYDRA wanted him dead. I dreamt that I protected you and your family instead… I know that it would have been impossible, HYDRA’s hold on my brain was too tight and I knew how bad they would’ve beaten me if I had failed although that’s not a good excuse. I knew I would still be alive at the end of a beating because they couldn’t afford killing me, they could pull my brain apart and rip into me all they liked I would have still been alive” Bucky explained carefully before he rested his head on Tony’s shoulder sadly and whispered “I’m sorry I was afraid, I’m sorry I couldn’t help you, I’m sorry I did what I did”

“It’s okay, you weren’t yourself and I know that now after spending time with you… Sorry I destroyed your arm and fought with you and Steve” Tony leant easily into the other’s body and curled into his chest, they stayed like that for a while until Bucky lifted his head so he could look down at Tony’s face.

“Why are you awake? You assumed I had nightmares, did you?” He questioned and frowned when Tony’s guard shot back up as he pulled away and shook his head with a fake smile, he opened his mouth to speak but Bucky got there first “Please do not lie to me, Tony”

Tony’s mouth clicked shut and he shrunk in on himself shyly before a hand was rubbing over the arc reactor scars nervously “I had flashbacks to the cave is all, I can never sleep right after that, it’s nothing to worry about”

“What cave?” Bucky asked curiously as he finished his own coffee in a couple of long gulps, prompting Tony to do the same.

“In Afghanistan, did Steve not tell you about me? Or Hydra, I thought one of them would have explained Iron Man to you” He tilted his head as he looked up to Bucky with his own curiousness held in his eyes but the other man just shook his head with a shrug “Guess you should know about how I became Iron Man then”

“And who better to teach me than the man himself” Bucky tried to tease him as he started to relax, Tony gave him a weak smile before he was being led to the sofas in the living room so they could sit down instead. Bucky pulled him down and kept him under his arm and against his chest to comfort Tony since he could tell the man was trying to build confidence.

“I was in Afghan showing off missiles while I was still a weapons dealer and when I was in the car to go home, we were ambushed and so I tried to help protect the team but the guns kept failing so I tried to signal anyone I could to help or at least find where we had gone. A bomb then landed beside me and I tried to get away and shield myself, but I wasn’t quick enough and the last thing I remember was seeing my name written across it” Tony told him as he closed his eyes and moved to be laying against Bucky instead since his feet were resting up on the sofa “I was taken to cave, there’s a blurry part in my memories where they showed me off to the person who wanted me dead, the man in the cave with me was a doctor and he put a magnet in my chest to stop the shrapnel from entering my heart and killing me”

 

Tony explained what happened in the cave to Bucky who asked him questions rarely or just moved around to hold Tony closer and more protectively. He went on to explain about Obadiah and the arc reactor, telling him about how he was dying in secret and then going on to explain extremis and getting the reactor removed, neither realising how night turned to morning and neither caring that the others would be up soon.

Tony curled into Bucky’s chest and slipped asleep while Bucky held him and fell asleep with him, just in time for Steve to come to the living room and find them curled up together. Natasha joining him a few moments later as they just looked at the pair sleeping soundly.

“Wonder what sparked this?” She mused thoughtfully but Steve knew exactly what this was and remembered the times he had been awake with nightmares and flashbacks only to find Tony already awake and pouring coffee into him, he smiled gratefully at them as he knew neither would have gone back to sleep easily on their own.

“Two damaged minds trying to soothe each other” Steve mumbled as he walked over to brush the hair out of Bucky’s face and to press a kiss to the top of Tony’s head fondly “They’re both so thoughtful” 

“If you say so, Cap” Clint snorted at him making Steve go tense and bolt upright as he looked at the archer panicked which only made him laugh harder “I know everything that goes down around here, plus I’m Bucky’s Sam, and Tony talks to Nat, Pepper _and_ Rhodey by the way”

"Sometimes we have group calls and wine" Natasha smirked over the cup of coffee she had made herself, the knowing glint in her eyes told Steve everything.

“I’m so screwed” He whined helplessly as his teammates cackled around him apart from Bruce who just rolled his eyes and carried on towards the coffee machine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully you guys like this chapter, sorry it took so long getting out since it has been sat ready to go for a while but I was working on my two other stories in that time.
> 
> Feedback is always welcome and extremely helpful!


	8. 008. "Take My Seat."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It started with a chair and ended as an undercover competition for Steve and Bucky...

Bucky got to the debrief late from their battle, a huge slime monster was slinging goo around and as it turns out, the goop was acidic. They learnt that the hard way naturally, Tony was already planning how to fix his suit but was also freaking out about how pale Bucky was looking. For some reason they didn’t have enough seats for Bucky to sit down, the acidic slime had splattered across his left leg which had made him scream in shocked pain.

“Here Buck, take my seat” Tony said as he stood up, he was sat across the room and quickly got up to help the soldier walk over to the chair, Bucky was scowling at the ground as he limped along. The serum would heal his leg in time and until then he wouldn’t be in as much pain as a normal human would, of course that didn’t really improve his mood at all and Tony stood at the back of the room was just putting him, Natasha and Clint on edge as they couldn’t watch him easily.

“Come here, Tony” Bucky crooked his fingers at him and Tony start walking before he really realised that he was moving, Bucky grinned at him as he pulled Tony into his lap and wrapped his arms around his waist “Don’t want you getting tired, beside you’re freaking the spies out”

Tony tensed up for a moment before he calmly nodded and settled back against Bucky’s chest to let him see everyone, he shuffled where his legs were and moved his weight slightly to not hurt Bucky’s leg even more. He missed the smug look Bucky was throwing at Steve who was definitely not jealous, no matter what Bucky said later.

 

Tony didn’t think about it for a long while afterwards, it seemed fairly reasonable that Bucky didn’t want Tony getting tired after a long, stressful battle and that Natasha and Clint would get paranoid by having him hover at the back of the room. Sure it was a little weird that Tony sat in his lap, but the team was growing closer again and Tony wasn’t going go be the one to split them up.

It was rare to have everyone in the compound especially for Team night, a tradition that followed them from the Tower, usually it was whoever was around got together to watch a film but sometimes they’d play games or go out or have a meal together. Tonight they were watching a movie and everyone turned up, including Tony which was a rarer sight since he was usually lost in his lab. He was last and exhausted so when Steve waved him over and pulled him into his lap, he barely blinked an eye at the odd behaviour because, hey, he did this with Bucky so it wasn’t that different.

“You look tired, when did you last sleep?” Steve whispered in his ear, a frown on his face and tugged Tony to rest against him.

“Um, I don’t know…” Tony mumbled back before tapping his watch and humming “Forty three hours ago I slept for ten minutes” 

“Geez Tony, forty three hours ago we got a call out, you haven’t slept since the mission?” Steve worried and his frown deepened when Tony shook his head and rested it on Steve’s shoulder “Why don’t you go to bed, I’m sure no one would mind”

“Team night, gotta stay, everyone’s home” He half explained as he shuffled slight to curl further into Steve’s body “Warm”

“Serum makes my body run hot, same with Bucky, he never feels the cold but we both get overheated easily” Steve said knowingly, Tony hummed once again and a little shiver ran through him “You cold?”

“Always cold, ever since reactor, heart doesn’t pump quite enough blood around my body to keep me warm, opposite of you. Rare to feel hot but always cold” Tony shrugged and looked around the room, Steve had sat in his favourite armchair - he could keep watch over his team and during the day it has the best light to draw in for the longest - so Tony knew only Bucky would really be affected by their whispering. Bucky was looking at the screen but Tony knew he wasn’t watching it really, he could practically see his mind still working “Bucky felt warm too, just thought it was from medicine and sweat”

“Might have made him warmer, but it’s normal for us… In the Commandos, the boys used to huddle around us a lot to keep warm, the serum was for making the perfect soldier and if a soldier isn’t cold he’s focused and steady” Steve pointed out and Tony hummed before letting out a curious noise.

“S’that why the ice was so bad, ‘cause you were cold?” Tony was slurring his words but Steve couldn’t smell drink on his breath so he knew it was Tony’s sleep deprivation catching up to him.

“Probably” Steve nodded just once before picking up Tony’s legs and moving them over to hang off the arm of the chair, Tony grumbled and shuffled to get comfy but wound up clinging to Steve’s jumper and nuzzling up against it “You can sleep here, if you want, you’ll still be with the team and you can rest”

“N-No, that would be mean, y’wouldn’t be able to get up” He muttered even while he was sinking deep in Steve’s arms and his head was lolling to one side, his grip getting looser.

“That’s alright, Tones, I’m not planning on moving soon” Steve cooed at him so Tony hummed and nodded weakly, as he slipped asleep Steve kept shuffling him around to lay against him comfortably until he gave a weak whine of protest and pushed Steve’s arm off of him and shuffled himself to curl into his chest “Sorry buddy, you comfy now?”

“Mnh” Tony hummed something that sounded positive before he fell asleep properly this time, Steve smiled and looked over to Bucky who was rolling his eyes so Steve just poked his tongue out playfully and settled with Tony.

 

Okay, the last one was kind of weird but Steve is the leader so it makes sense that he’d want everyone to be included so the next time most of the Avengers were home to have a movie night, Tony decided to experiment being a scientist and all.

He made sure he was the last one to walk in and that all the chairs were taken, he made a fuss of it before Steve and Bucky glanced at each other as they had stretched out over one of the sofas.

“Tony, come sit with us” Steve waved him over and neither made any attempt to move until he was walking over, Bucky shuffled to lay against Steve’s chest and between his legs to hold out his hand for Tony to take. He hesitated very slightly but carried on confidently as he took Bucky’s hand and sat between his legs with his own back against Bucky’s chest “Wouldn’t want you to miss out”

Tony just chuckled and settled in, waiting for one of them to do something weird… Luckily for him he didn’t have to wait long, Bucky’s metal arm wrapped around his chest and he whispered softly in his ear.

“This okay, doll? Arm doesn’t freak you out?” He asked with a hopeful tone in his voice, Tony glanced to arm curled protectively around him and shook his head. They then went back to watching whatever film was playing, Steve seemed to realise that Tony was stuck in his head as long, artistic fingers tangled into his hair and gently petted him until the tension dropped from his shoulders and his head lolled back to rest in the crook of Bucky’s arm “Rest now, Tony, we know you’re tired”

“Can’t, gotta get back to work after this” Tony muttered under his breath making the two soldiers frown before Bucky smirked and shifted his arms very slightly to hold Tony to his chest in a hug, a whir and click sounded and Steve just chuckled to himself happily “What?”

“S’nothing doll, just rest and we’ll wake you when the film’s over” Bucky cooed and Tony just mumbled something before he was drifting off to sleep, Steve grinned as he rested his chin on Bucky’s head “Guess we’ll have t’call it a tie, punk”

“Nah, I won” Steve dismissed him easily and held back a laugh when Bucky made an offended, yet slightly confused noise “I got you in my lap - you count too, jerk” Bucky tsked but let his hair fall in front of his face to hide the pink tint across his cheeks and the soft smile curling his lips, Tony shuffled slightly and nuzzled in closer with a hum sounding suspiciously like ‘warm’ “Yeah, I definitely won...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long to get this out, I used to want to try and get a new chapter out every other week but I think for right now every month is a good starting point for regular updates.
> 
> Anyways, I really hope you liked this fluffy chapter, feedback is always welcome and extremely helpful!


	9. 009. “I Saved A Piece For You.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony's sleepy and hungry, but the super soldiers are there to help him out!

Tony was practically known in the compound for disappearing for days on end before reemerging exhausted, starving and babbling nonsense half the time as his mind was still running too fast for anyone else to understand him. There was a rule in place now that Tony has to come up every two days or someone has to go down to him and bring him up on the third day to avoid him collapsing or going hungry/thirsty for too long, sometimes Tony managed to ‘outsmart’ this rule by coming up every two days for a week or more but not this time.

 

Tony had stumbled up three days ago, had a nap and some food before taking a mug of coffee back down with him, but now Clint was dragging Tony into the room and dropped him straight into Steve’s lap making the Captain jump and almost throw Tony off of him.

“Here’s your boy, take care of it” Clint said simply but gave Steve a cheeky smile and a wink before walking past Bucky and bumping his shoulder as he went past “It’s time for your favourite part of the week, Buck”

“What? Oh. Oh sweet thing, look at you” Bucky instantly melted at the sight of Tony sat in Steve’s lap, now curled up and pressing himself into Steve’s chest with a happy smile “You hungry, darling? Want something to eat?” Tony mumbled something that didn’t really make sense but Steve caught his eye and nodded so Bucky ran off and came back with a few slices of pizza, still warm, on a plate.

“Look what Bucky has for you, doll” Steve rubbed Tony’s back enough to stir him and make him blink open his eyes, he smiled brighter as Bucky sat down next to them.

“Here, I saved a piece for you” Bucky cooed as he offered the plate but soon changed tactics and held the slice up for Tony to eat, Steve had one arm curled around Tony to keep him from falling and the other was resting on the back of the sofa behind Bucky so when the other soldier shuffled closer and sat so he wasn’t half falling off, Steve slowly slipped that arm around Bucky’s waist as well.

“Wouldn’t want you falling off, Buck” Steve shrugged off the confused look and laughed when Tony whined for more food “Come on Soldier, we’ve got a hungry genius on our hands” He joked to distract Bucky away from his touch.

“Sir, yes Sir!” Bucky teased as he saluted with a smirk before lifting the slice up to Tony’s mouth so he could take a bite, Tony stretched his leg and nudged Bucky’s thigh so he held the plate up as Tony put his feet in Bucky’s lap “Ever get the feeling we’re just a seat for Tony?”

“You didn’t know? We are definitely just servants for Tony at this point” Steve laughed making the genius grumble and shove at his chest “Sorry, doll, we don’t mind it though, we like taking care of you, don’t we, Bucky?”

“Of course we do, who wouldn’t want a sweet, little genius to look after?” Bucky cooed as he held the food to Tony’s mouth, Tony hummed and shrugged as he nuzzled against Steve’s chest looking sad “What is it, Tones, what’s in that head of your’s?”

“Pepper didn’t like it, neither did Ty or Sunset” Tony slurred and refused anymore food from Bucky, he whined and wriggled to hide his face when Steve tried to tilt his head.

“I’m sorry, honey, but we really do like taking care of you, we promise” Steve whispered quietly in Tony’s ear as he started to stroke his hair, Bucky held one of Tony’s hands and rubbed his thumb over the soft skin. Tony mumbled something but soon his body relaxed and he had drifted asleep so the soldiers moved themselves to get comfortable, Tony stayed curled up against Steve as Bucky was pulled into Steve’s side as well.

“You’re being awfully clingy, Stevie” Bucky teased but leant against him all the same, Steve reached around him and picked up a slice of pizza and held it up with a cheeky grin “Come on, Punk, you don’t need to feed me”

“I know, Jerk, but you don’t want to waste food, do you?” Steve joked back and laughed hard when Bucky rolled his eyes but took a bite out of the pizza.

 

* * *

 

Neither of them noticed when Tony peaked an eye open to watch them feeding each other with a smile on his face. No one thought anything of it when Tony fed Steve a cookie, a few eyebrows were raised when Tony offered a bite of his food to Bucky from his fork, but everyone definitely stared when Tony fed Bucky some food and then turned to feed Steve straight away. They were used to the soldiers feeding Tony when he was exhausted, but Tony feeding them when everyone was aware was definitely something new to them and if the Avengers had a few pictures of Steve, Bucky and Tony feeding each other as proof later on, the trio didn’t need to know...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, sorry it's a little short but I didn't want to make it drag out too much.
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated and helps me get new chapters out!


	10. 010. “I’m Sorry For Your Loss.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s December 21st and Tony’s visiting his parents, but someone else is waiting to be visited as well..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More angsty this time around, shouldn’t trigger anyone but read on with caution... also let me know if I need to tag anything

Bucky realised the date faster than Steve did when they had the little genius climb into their laps in the middle of the day, Tony was dressed in a pair of sweats and a big jumper and luckily Steve wasn’t stupid enough to point out Tony’s red tinted eyes.

“Hey doll, you want a hug?” Bucky cooed softly and held back the ‘aww’ as Tony just nodded and pressed himself up against his chest “Alright, Tones, do you want a drink or some food?” Tony just shook his head before holding his hand out for Steve who, despite being confused, gave Tony his hand which got pressed to the other’s chest. Steve sent a confused look over Tony’s head to Bucky who mouthed back to him.

“December 21st, parents” 

Steve’s eyes went wide before curling up closer to Bucky so he could hold Tony a little better, Tony just smiled weakly and cuddled up closer to him as well. They stayed curled around Tony until Pepper showed up in a smart black dress and a gentle smile on her face, Tony peaked his head up and nodded at her before slowly pulling himself out the embrace.

“You okay, doll?” Steve asked as he caught Tony’s hand and watched as Tony just stared back with held back tears in his eyes, before he slowly shook his head “Anything we can do?” 

“Come?” They weren’t expecting a vocal answer and certainly not one so full of raw emotion as he stood in front of them trembling “Please?”

“Of course, let us get changed an-” Bucky agreed instantly but Tony just shook his head making the former gulp as he looked up worriedly, hoping that Tony wasn’t going to say only Steve could come.

“No it’s okay, they won’t mind” Tony gave a weak smile and Bucky let out a breath as he nodded with a smile back before both of them were getting to their feet and barely stopping to shove their feet into a pair of shoes as they walked past. Tony managed a little giggle as they were practically shoving at each other to walk beside Tony before teasing them “I do have two hands boys” 

“Well as long as you do have two hands” Steve teased as he nudged Bucky to Tony’s left and they both claimed a hand, smirking slightly when Tony squeaked in shock like he wasn’t expecting them to actually hold his hand, but they did and didn’t let him go until they were climbing in the car with Happy at the wheel, Pepper sitting up front and Tony squished between the soldiers.

 

“Hi Mum, hi Dad, another year huh?” Tony was knelt on the ground between the two graves, head bowed with Pepper, Happy, Steve and Bucky stood ready for support but Tony quickly waved Pepper and Happy away who both gave him a pat on the head or a squeeze on the shoulder “I told you we found them, I told you they lived with me, that we’re a team… Steve and Bucky, guess I finished something you started in the end, ay Dad” he laughed but it was full of tears, his straight back had folded as he hunched over to cry quietly, still struggling through his words.

Tony had gone quiet after a while of choked out stories so Bucky knelt down beside Tony and put his hand on Tony’s leg as he spoke softly “Thank you for giving birth to such a wonderful man, Ma’am, and thank you for teaching him to be so intelligent that he’s saved me from myself, Sir”

Steve knelt down on the other side of Tony with his hands clasped in his lap “Thank you Ma’am for raising such a caring son that knows what to do with me when I’ve lost myself, and thank you Sir for looking for me so I can meet such an incredible man” Both of their Brooklyn accents came out strong as Tony grabbed Bucky’s hand and rested his head on Steve’s arm in thanks, they stayed like that just for a moment before he sat up and let go.

“Can I have a moment alone with them, please?” He said with a much stronger voice than before, both nodded and gave his shoulder a squeeze as they stood up.

“Of course, doll, we’ll take a walk around but we’ll keep you in sight if you want us” Bucky cooed slightly making Tony smile before they started to walk around and look at the different graves, Steve couldn’t help but shake the familiar feeling of the church yard. They walked in silence, sometimes stopping to look and read the graves which is why Bucky didn’t worry but Steve stopped, he looked over his shoulder to see the other man pale as a sheet before his knees buckled, Bucky help but yelp “Steve!”

Steve thudded to his knees as his body just crumpled, shoulders shaking as he whispered over and over “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, please forgive me” Bucky ran over to him and read the grave Steve was crying in front before his heart sunk, sliding his hand into Steve’s hair and gently petting as he stood strong for both Steve and Tony now.

Tony had heard Bucky’s cry and whipped his head around to see Steve sobbing and trembling weakly “What’s wrong? Why is St-” Bucky put a finger to his lips before pointing to the writing on the grave ‘Sarah Rogers, loving wife and mother of one’ with a shamrock under it.

“This is Steve’s ma” Bucky whispered almost too quiet for Tony to hear, Tony just nodded and wiped tears of his cheeks “C’mere doll” Bucky held his hand out to the smaller who only gasped when he was tugged into Bucky’s chest and held there, protected from the world “Tony, I’m sorry-”

“Don’t” Tony just interrupted him, sounding stronger than he probably felt “It wasn’t your fault, you were brainwashed and forced to it, I don’t blame you so you need to stop saying sorry” Bucky’s hand tensed for a moment on Tony’s back before it smoothed out and rubbed his back gently.

“Then, I’m sorry for your loss” Bucky whispered into Tony’s hair softly, his chin resting on his head and felt the tiny nod Tony gave as they stayed there while Steve mourned and begged for forgiveness, he couldn’t get to the grave after the funeral and then it was war, then he crashing the plane, then it was Loki and now there’s no excuse but he still hadn’t seen her until now. 

Pepper was curled into Happy as she cried, happy that Tony finally had some support and someone to bring to his parents that obviously care for him and sad for the lost Brooklyn boy finding his mother once again. They made a messy, but calm picture, Steve bent over his grave clearly torn up by the grief while Bucky stands strong but lost in the graves that could hold his family but he would have no real memories of, and Tony curled into the strong chest as he finally comes to peace with their death and forgives Bucky truly for the crime he didn’t want to commit.

Tony after a long moment knelt beside Steve, just like how Steve did for him and leant close to let Steve lean on him if he wanted “Thank you ma’am for raising such a talented, loving, respectful man that cares too much but doesn’t mind when I forget to care enough, I-” Tony got choked up and let out a small cry of his own before Steve was pulling him into a tight hug.

“Thank you Tony, she would have really liked you… I don’t want you forcing yourself to speak, this is your time to grieve” Steve’s voice was hoarse like he had been screaming but Tony squeezed his arms around Steve tighter and smiled.

“I’ve had my time to grieve, I think I’m finally okay, I think having both of you here to meet them has made me okay” Tony kept his voice low before they were standing up, Bucky pulled Steve in for a bone-crushing hug and Steve held on just as hard “You guys ready to go home?”

“Yeah, think we’ve done enough grieving today, they wouldn’t want us to be sad” Steve mumbled as he reached out and held Tony’s hand and Bucky instantly took a hold of Steve’s other hand, neither mentioning how bad he was shaking.

“We can finally step up for Christmas now, I think they’d want you guys to be happy and spend time with friends” Bucky tried to cheer them up weakly but both Tony and Steve gave bright smiles, Pepper and Happy nodded at them when they came over but didn’t say a word about the trio even though they had been sent the pictures that the Avengers had been taking. 

She, Rhodey and Happy all laughed together later on that evening as they talked about how oblivious all of them are to each other, all just happy that Tony’s finally found some good people to love and that love him… Rhodey blames beer for him crying over the picture Natasha sends that night of the three of them all curled up and holding on to each other like they might disappear if they let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, I actually got a chapter out in the middle of the month, yayy! I’m, hopefully, going to do a SteveTony halloween exchange so next update might be a little late or I’ll update twice next month, but I will be posting at least one thing next month :D
> 
> Feedback is always welcome and helps me get chapters out faster!


	11. 011. “You Can Have Half”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s the day after they visited the graves so it’s time to decorate... if they don’t get distracted that is.

Steve carefully stood up, his feet braced steadily as he lifted Tony up on his shoulders, as Bucky definitely didn’t laugh when the genius squealed in fright. Tony, now towering over Bucky, twisted around and glared before he leant forward to hang up the lights. Thor, Steve or Bucky could have easily done it themselves but Steve’s a sucker and Tony’s somewhat of a perfectionist and wanted to show them where the lights needed to go. It was only yesterday that they had visited the graves and Tony was looking a lot better for it as he smiled and laughed with the team, they had stayed curled up together for the rest of the night and only separated when Tony woke up and promptly started getting up and waking the others to start decorating.

Bucky stepped back for a moment and smiled at the pair before he glanced at the whole team with a grin on his face, Bruce is cooking and baking in the kitchen, Clint is in the vents and catching the banners that Natasha’s throwing up to him to string up, Thor was helping Bruce at the moment after he had gotten annoyed by Tony’s constant correcting and lessons about Christmas that he knew Tony honestly thought were helpful. Sam and Rhodey were following Tony’s plan as they decorated the outside of the Tower as FRIDAY kept an eye on them.

“Bucky, is that straight? Can you tell?” Tony called out as he held the lights up making Bucky smile harder since it was just as easy to call on FRIDAY to check and she would probably be more accurate than he would be anyways.

“Bring your right arm up just a little bit-” He called back and nodded when it was in place “Perfect, right there!” He came back over and stretched to hold the lights were Tony placed them so he could take a look as well “Did I do okay?” He chuckled and jumped a little when Steve reached over his head to stick them in place, Steve’s chest pressed again Bucky’s back as he used the few inches between them to go over his head.

“Stevie, what the hell are you doin’?” Bucky managed to tease after he got over the shock of it, Steve just laughed and gently pushed harder against him.

“Just fixin’ the lights in place, Buck” Steve said with the most innocent sounding voice he had ever heard, though he knew the punk was smirking at him, and putting on his Brooklyn accent to tease him. Once they were in place, Steve took his sweet time removing himself from being plastered to Bucky’s back before turning to Tony with a grin “What do you think, Tony? Up to your standards?” 

Tony knew he must have a fond look on his face as he smiled at the two super soldiers grinning and teasing each other, he nodded in time for Steve to see before Bucky shoved him playfully which just started a small war between the pair.

 

The whole living space looked amazing, decorated in all different colours. Red and gold in the halls, blue and white in the kitchen, a more traditional cranberries and popcorn styled living room with a grand Christmas tree in the corner of the room. Everyone had gone out early this morning to buy the decorations, Tony stuck to his plan for the main decorations but shyly brought everyone over to a section of the store that had all kinds of tree decorations. He awkwardly gestured to them and nudged Bruce forward who had the second most knowledge about Christmas, so the scientist easily started to wander around and brought back a bright green ball that swirled with different shades.

The whole team got the idea then as they started to walk around and find different baubles and figures to decorate the tree with. Steve found a silver one with red stars, Bucky found a stunning red and gold one that shone brightly, as Tony found a red and blue one with white stars.

At first the team worried about it not matching until they saw Tony put in a soft looking robin and then a cute elf a few moments later, after that they knew they were picking out what looked out or meant something special to each other or themselves and with how giant the tree was, they were definitely going to have room for it all.

 

“Hey Tony, come try this out for me!” Bruce called out from the kitchen, Steve and Bucky both pausing the fight to see what was going on. Tony sat at the counter and hummed when he caught the smell of cookies, grinning almost madly when one was put on a plate for him “If you like them then I can make some more since there’s some batter leftover, since you’re a fussy eater you’re my best bet”

“I’m not that fussy, Brucie Bear” Tony poked his tongue out in revenge before biting into the cookie and practically moaning at the taste “Can I marry you for your cookies?”

“Sure, but I don’t think Steve and/or Bucky would like that” Bruce chuckled before he nodded his head over to where Steve was poorly hiding, a black eye starting to form that made Tony frown.

“You guys promised not to get into a fight before Christmas” he whined making Steve feel like shit, they did promise Tony no fighting so that there were no black eyes or broken noses or bloody knuckles around Christmas.

“Sorry doll, it’ll be gone by tomorrow evening though” he tried and Tony just shrugged sadly, Bucky strolled in with a busted lip and sat in front of Tony.

“What he means to say is, we’re really sorry we broke the no fighting promise, Tony, and we swear to you that we won’t fight again until after Christmas, if we somehow do fight before then you have full permission to go five rounds with us in the ring and we will just stand there and let you beat us because we would deserve it for breaking our promises twice to you” Bucky told him smoothly, if not a little violently, Tony giggled before breaking off some cookie for Bucky to try as well.

“You can half for such an amazing apology, Steve, you can this for trying because I know you’re not great with words” Tony broke off a piece that was barely smaller than Bucky’s with a shy smile, offering him the piece that Steve took with his own bashful smirk and red tinted ears.

“Thanks, Tony” Steve kept his voice quiet before both soldiers bit down as their eyes widened in awe, Tony giggled as he finished it off “Yep, I’m marrying Bruce for his baking”

“I was gonna marry him for his baking!” Tony whined so Steve just stuck his tongue out and laughed at how outraged Tony looked, Bucky finished off his cookie happily and nodded to himself. 

“Idiots” Bucky tsked at them as he stood up and scooped Bruce off his feet, waiting a beat to make sure Bruce wasn’t green and then whisking him out the kitchen. Thor chuckled deeply before following them out, letting Tony and Steve hear Bucky’s own yelp when Thor picked him up as well.

“Well I’m glad you enjoyed Bruce and I’s joined efforts, Bucky” Thor winked at them causing all three to laugh once more as they were carried down the hall, once they had gotten away from the kitchen Thor placed them down in time for Bucky to turn on his heels with a hopeful look on his face.

“Teach me to bake?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this fluffer chapter!
> 
> I really want to get a certain prompt out either on the 25th of December or around that time but there’s a few prompts in my way, meaning there’ll either be a couple in one month or I’ll skip one to get the one I want to do for December out then.
> 
> That is if all goes to plan, I’m currently working on a halloween exchange on Tumblr which I’ll also post here, a Stony Zine which I might post here depending if I’m allowed and a WinterIron holiday exchange which will definitely be posted here... I apparently like to make myself suffer, wish me luck and as always feedback is always welcome!!


	12. 012. “Take My Jacket, It’s Cold Outside”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fury calls them into a holiday meeting and Steve absolutely doesn’t feel cold.

The whole team couldn’t wait to just leave and go home, they had been stuck in SHIELD all day in meetings about the whole winter season. What to do in case of a call out over the holiday period, what to respond to and what not to over New Years and everything they have been told every winter season. Steve had forced everyone to come but now he was probably the one who was most looking forward to going home, it was getting colder and colder as they days went on and even though Steve couldn’t feel the cold as bad as the others it was enough for him to feel it and get worked up.

Tony must’ve noticed because he was sticking close to Steve’s side, never touching him but so close he might as well be. Bucky was well past noticing and had already thought up a little plan of action, he had purposely brought a thick jacket with him and he was wearing a hoodie under it to keep him really warm.

“Alright, get out of here, I can’t be bothered to tell you again” Fury huffed an hour or two earlier than he should, everyone picked up their heads and looked confused “You all look moody as hell, so go on, go home!” He shooed them off and let a small chuckle pass his lips as they all practically sprinted out the room apart from Tony who stood up and walked over to Fury calmly.

“Happy Holidays, Nick” Tony said looking up to the bigger man who looked out to the hall before pulling the other into a hug making Tony grin and hold him back.

“Thank you, Tony, I hope you enjoy your Christmas with your family” Nick whispered in his ear, Tony squeezed him a little tighter before letting go and standing up properly with a smile on his face.

“You have the codes” Tony reminded him before walking out the room, he assumed that Steve and Bucky would be in the car already but he spotted them further down the hall almost looking like they were about to have a fight.

“Come on Steve, I know you’re nervous-” Bucky tried hopelessly, only to get snapped at again.

“I said I’m not nervous, Bucky, I just don’t want to leave without Tony” Steve was half way to growling at the other soldier, his whole body tensed up and ready to strike as he tried to stare down his best friend.

Bucky rolled his eyes and shook his head with a tsk as he said “That’s bull and you know it, you can feel the cold and it’s freaking you out, I know you Stevie. You might wanna wait up for Tony too, but that’s not why you won’t leave and ya look like you wanna punch me in the face”

Steve huffed and dropped his shoulders in defeat before Bucky pulled him into a hug, Tony smiled a little at them before he started to walk over to them “Hey, thanks for waiting for me!” He called out pretending to be oblivious, he gave them a stunning smile as they pulled apart.

“No worries Tony, didn’t want you left behind. Everything okay with Fury?” Bucky chirped easily as he took his jacket off and rolled his shoulders to adjust his metal shoulder to the weight difference.

“Yeah, it’s good, just needed to talk is all” Tony shrugged it off before turning to Steve who was looking outside with a frown on his face “Steve, you look a little cold, you okay?”

“Uh yeah, yeah! Everything’s fine” Steve lied clearly making Tony purse his lips together but nod regardless, Bucky rolled his eyes even harder before holding his jacket out to Steve.

“Take my jacket, it’s cold outside and I’m overheated as it is” Bucky offered hopefully and he could tell when Steve was about to puff out his chest and argue “Please, for me and Tony, please Stevie?”

Steve huffed but took the jacket and slid it on easily “Fine, just so you stop pestering me, Jerk” He rolled his shoulders to adjust to weight of the leather, Steve almost jumped out of his skin when Bucky grabbed hold of his hand and started to march him out the building making Tony laugh and follow along behind them.

“Come on, Tony, I’m not having Clint leave us because he thinks it’ll speed up time to Christmas” Bucky teased him happily so he quickly sped up and walked next to Bucky now instead “Your cheeks are pink, Tones, you cold?” 

“Only a little, I’m okay though, Buck” Tony shrugged calmly but squeaked as the soldier held his hand as well, both men chuckled at the genius who just scoffed at them and held his head higher but kept holding onto Bucky’s metal hand that had a glove covering it to keep it from freezing up.

 

“Gross, Nat make them stop!” Clint whined to her as he leant up against the car waiting for them, Bruce chuckled as Natasha just rolled her eyes at him “Tasha, they’re making eyes at each other again and ignoring it!” 

“Let them pine for a while longer, Clint, they’ll get together soon enough and when they do you’ll whine about it then too” She shrugged one shoulder simply making Sam snort with laughter before Clint scowled at him which just made him laugh harder. 

“We need to compare notes on the boys again, Bucky asked me to teach him to bake after seeing Steve and Tony eat my cookies yesterday” Bruce commented as he nodded at Natasha who huffed out a chuckle and smiled as she nodded back at him. Bruce smiled before calling over to the trio making their way closer “Finally decided to catch up?”

“You know me, Brucie, fashionably late as always” Tony chirped back with a grin on his, throwing his free arm out making Bucky laugh but hold their hands up as well which just made all of them laugh harder.

“They’re still gross but at least they’re cute, I guess” Clint grumbled under his breath as Natasha walked past him to get in the car making her roll her eyes again and tsk, shooting Bruce a smirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter this time, I managed to stress myself out over writing things so it’s not my best and I’ll possibly redo it later. 
> 
> Anyways! I hoped you still enjoyed it and as always feedback is always welcome!


	13. 013. “Sorry We’re Late.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Bucky are a little late to some quality Tony Time and once again it ends in some sleepy cuddles

Tony sat with the blanket Bucky got him wrapped around him with both Steve and Bucky’s blankets sat either side of him as he looked the blank television in front of him, he was slowly falling asleep as his eyes drifted shut and his breathing slowed down. Tony had almost fallen asleep when the door burst open and the two resident super soldiers wrestled into the room, the noise jolted Tony awake and he slipped off the sofa - smacking his head as he fell.

“Shit, Tony, are you okay?” Steve rushed forward around the sofa and cupping the back of his head gently as Bucky hopped the sofa with ease and sat beside Tony looking equally full of panic and worry.

“I-I’m fine” Tony nodded and groaned as he sat up properly, blinking his eyes and looking around confused.

“What happened, doll?” Bucky cooed as he ran his fingers through the messy hair carefully.

“I was waiting for you guys and- and I think I was falling asleep before you came in” Tony guessed before yelping as Steve scooped him up and wrapped him in the blanket better, he latched onto the man in fear of being dropped before he was settled onto the sofa with a soldier each side of him.

“We’re so sorry for scaring you, Tones, and sorry we’re late for our own movie night” Steve gave a sad smile and ducked his head just a little before Tony shook his head and smiled at him easily.

“That’s okay, you didn’t mean to scare me and Nick was the one who called you guys in on Christmas Eve, I don’t mind as long as you don’t mind me falling asleep on you both later on” He just chuckled softly and wriggled further back into the sofa as Bucky set up the film and turned the lights off to get them ready.

“Of course we don’t mind, Tones, do you want to lay down so you can rest?” Bucky asked once he had settled down as well, Tony shook his head with a yawn “You sure? We don’t mind”

“I’m sure, I wanna try and stay awake for this one!” He chirped happily before settling down between them a bowl of fresh popcorn in his lap that the three of them were sharing.

 

As the film went on, Tony’s eyes drooped more and more as he sunk further into Steve’s side and Bucky carefully pulled his feet into his lap. A loud yawn from the genius alerted him to how sleepy he really was, he sat up and blinked at his surroundings and at the movie still playing in the background.

“Doll, you need to get some rest, it’s Christmas Eve and you don’t want to be sleepy all day on Christmas, do you?” Bucky cooed and Tony hummed with a nod before he shifted around and cuddled into his chest “I meant in a real bed, not just curled up against us as much as we love taking care of you, honey”

“Don’t sleep well without you guys” Tony mumbled as he held onto him needily, Steve ran his fingers through Tony’s hair gently making the genius almost purr in happiness “Don’t wanna have nightmares before Christmas”

“Do you think if we stayed with you until you fell asleep you wouldn’t get nightmares?” Steve asked making Tony whine at the thought of getting up but nodded somewhat reluctantly “Alright then, up with you”

“No” Tony pouted and cuddled further into Bucky who was laughing before sitting up and sweeping Tony into his arms as he stood up properly while Tony whined sadly “Bucky, why?” 

“Because you need a proper rest, doll” He replied simply as they started making their way up to Tony’s floor, he was only two floors above the comuninal floor so it was easy to take Tony to bed.

 

They got Tony into bed fairly easily but Bucky does have to hold his hand until he falls asleep, Steve agreed to sit on the side of the bed that Bucky wasn’t. Steve and Bucky whispered softly to each other to help soothe Tony’s busy mind, talking about nothing important until Tony shuffled and mumbled ‘Christmas’ so they started talking about how excited they are for tomorrow and what hopes they had for the day as well.

Once they knew Tony was asleep, they tried to leave him to sleep, Bucky managed to wriggle his hand out of Tony’s despite not wanting to let go at all and luckily for Steve, all he had to do was stand up. Tony grumbled and shifted around making the two wait until he had settled back down before very slowly and silently making their way to the door.

The door was barely opened when Tony started shuffling and digging his face into the pillow as he murmured “No, m’sorry, stop”

“He wasn’t kidding about those nightmare, huh?” Steve muttered slightly and heard Bucky almost whimper when tears slipped from Tony’s eyes as he grew more and more restless “Come on, Buck” For a moment, Bucky whipped his head around to whisper-shout at him that they couldn’t leave him like this when he realised Steve was making his way back over to the bed so he quickly followed.

“Tones, wake up sweetheart, it’s okay” Bucky and Steve whispered and gently shook him awake, smiling softly at the confused expression on the genius’ face “You were having nightmares when we tried to leave, do you want us to stay with you?”

Tony blinked at them for a second before nodding and shuffling around in the bed “Please” Bucky and Steve sat either side of him on top of the covers and closed their eyes once they thought Tony had settled “You don’t have to stay if I make you uncomfortable” Tony’s voice was quiet and muffled by the sheets his face was hidden behind.

“Now, why would you think you make us uncomfortable?” Bucky cooed as he ran his fingers through Tony’s hair and gently pulled the sheet away so he could see his timid face.

“You don’t wanna lay down with me” Tony squeaked, his voice and body somehow getting smaller and smaller “I get if you don’t wanna be under the sheet but-” He just shrugs and shuffles to hide his face again.

“ _ We _ don’t want to make  _ you _ uncomfortable, Tony, that’s why we didn’t lay down. Plus if we were to be under the sheet then both Buck and I would need to lose a couple layers because we’ll both overheat really quick” Steve explained with ease that made Tony blush a little but he just dug his face into the pillow more.

“I don’t mind” The words were extremely muffled and Bucky only barely managed to catch what he said.

“Did you say ‘you don’t mind’? It’s important that we know, Tone” Bucky asked and waited for Tony’s little nod of his head before both of them stripped down to their shorts and slid into bed with Tony who was very concentrated on smothering himself “This okay?” Tony just nodded again making both of them chuckle softly before settling down in the huge bed and drifting off to sleep at last, this time without nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early in the month update this time because I’m hoping to get another one out around the 25th. 
> 
> I just wanted to say that the Avengers will be celebrating Christmas in this story just because that’s what I celebrate and I’m worried that if I tried to write another holiday that I’d offended people, so I’m really sorry for that but I’m hoping you’ll still like the next one anyway!
> 
> Feedback is always welcome with open arms!


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